![]() ![]() ![]() He used to gig a lot when I was a kid, played guitar in a band and they would rehearse in the house and he'd be gigging on the weekends, yeah. Not professionally, but, yeah, in his heart and mind he absolutely is. You know, having West Indian parents and heritage and have that music and food and culture alive in my house, as well as being born into a North American society, I kind of had the best of both worlds in the cultures of music and heritage all at the same time. I grew up being exposed to so many different types of people and languages that that was definitely a big inspiration for me. So the life of other cultures, of home cultures, you know, from the islands and different continents and countries is very much alive in Canada. You know, pretty much everybody in my life is an immigrant to Canada except for me, I'm a first generation Canadian. Yeah, I mean, you know, my family is Caribbean. Take a trip up to Toronto, you'll see what I'm talking about. MARTIN: Hold on, now, you know, we down here in the States kind of feel we own that, but take your point. FIONA: No, it's not, but it's definitely the melting pot capital of the world, I would say. It's not exactly known as the soul capital. MARTIN: How do you think you arrived at your sound? I mentioned that you're born in Canada. It was to bridge people together and just, you know, I always feel like music should be a universal language and I just wanted this album to just feel good and have people all over enjoy it. Well, why did she do all these things? Well, it was to bridge cultures together. And naming it "The Bridge" was the explanation. And I just really wanted to have an album that would really bring that all together and make sense. I knew that I was inspired by many different things from different cultures and foods and music and genres and people. ![]() I knew that it was many different things. I mean, a lot of people can describe this album as many different things. ![]() I know what I had in mind, tell me what you had in mind. MARTIN: So I referred to the title of the album "The Bridge," but tell me what you had in mind. Melanie Fiona, thank you so much for joining us. MARTIN: And she's on tour now, but she was kind enough to stop by our Washington, D.C. And it kills me to know how much I really love you. A part of me wants to leave, but the other half still believes. I've got to be out of my mind to think it's work this time. MELANIE FIONA (Musician): (Singing) Some things I just can't stand. But maybe she describes herself best in the title of her debut album "The Bridge." Here she is singing her number one hit "It Kills Me." And you could say, as critics have, that her music is a blend of pop, some rock, R&B and classic soul with a twist of attitude. How shall we describe Melanie Fiona? Well, she's Canadian-born with Caribbean roots. Enjoy.I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR news. Their very spare, jazz-style accompaniment appropriately puts the focus on Fiona’s vocal, which she delivers flawlessly. Fiona looks wary as she begins singing, but smiles and nods warmly at the drummer a few bars in with a look that says “oh my God, this is working!” And it really is: The Brothers can groove!. Likewise the program’s hosts, who surprisingly get very into the performance (albeit with a silly, awkward little dance). Fiona was appearing live on German breakfast television with a local band, the Rockhouse Brothers, a group of likeable “squares” who would appear not to have an ounce of soul. In 2009, Melanie Fiona took one such opportunity to go for the magic when promoting her first album, The Bridge. When supporting their debut albums, new artists who have major label marketing support often find themselves appearing anywhere and everywhere in an effort to build a fan base, which can result in unfortunate disasters or live magic. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |